Welcome to the 280 licensed therapists integrating with psychedelic therapies who are reading today’s letter. If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed, subscribe here. If you have a favorite therapist who should be reading this, forward this email to them!

📋 In this issue

• Answering the question: Which training should I take?

📢 Announcements

• The Therapist Integration consultation groups have started meeting! Join us here.

Which training should I take?

I get this question online all the time. It came up again last week during one of our TI consult meetings. My answer might surprise you.... it depends.

It depends on whether you're more aligned with wanting to do all three phases of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), or if you're more aligned with incorporating a psychedelic harm reduction and integration (PHRI) approach, supporting clients who've independently pursued therapeutic psychedelic experiences on their own. Learn about the differences between PAT and PHRI here.

The first question to ask though is do I want to be a PAT or PHRI therapist? A PAT therapist can do PHRI, but a PHRI therapist probably shouldn't be doing PAT. Let me explain...

If you want to align with 3-phase PAT...

you should really consider the extensive trainings that dive deep. Some common ones I'm familiar with would be the MAPS training, CIIS, IPI, etc. It's essential you learn about the clinical applications for supporting clients in altered states of consciousness and develop a complete picture of how to support clients through the entire 3-phase PAT process. These trainings may last a year or more and come with a hefty price tag.

It's also worth noting that phase 2 of PAT (experiential sessions with a mind-altering substance) is only legal under limited circumstances at this time.

If you want to align with PHRI...

you may not need as much training (especially if you're already a seasoned therapist with years of experience and clinical training). With this approach leaving the experiential phase of PAT up to the client to pursue independently, a better question to start with here is: what are my gaps of knowledge? Where are my weaknesses? Then seek out more focused trainings to help you strengthen them.

Perhaps you live near a ketamine clinic, or in a state where psilocybin has been legalized. In this case you may want to look for trainings to learn more about the risks/benefits of those specific substances or their unique clinical considerations. Or maybe you want to get more familiar with risk assessments used in preparation. Or the strategies you might consider in your approach to integration. These trainings will be much shorter and more affordable. Take a look at Psychedelic Support for some good options.

Some questions you may even be able to answer yourself for the cost of a few hours of online research, or the price to buy a book that covers your area of interest, or a consultation fee.

It depends

So yes, it depends. I will never tell you which training to take unless I've had a chance to learn more about your experience, skills, gaps, and goals for how you want to integrate psychedelic therapies into your practice. Even then, I'd probably tell you to research your options and walk through the pros/cons for each with you.

This is a reason why I recommend consultation before, during, and after you begin to incorporate a psychedelic therapy framework into your practice. Consultation is a key feature of our profession, not a bug. You can consult with me or with someone else. I'd be glad to learn your consulting regardless of who it's with! Some trainings may even have consultation as part of the offering.

So be sure to ask yourself some of those key questions, understand why it depends, and then keep researching until you find a fit good for you.

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Until next time,

Chris

PS- Have questions or topics you'd like to see discussed? Reply to this email and let me know!

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Therapist Integration: Integrating licensed therapists into the field of psychedelic therapies.

A project of Peak Psychotherapy, PLLC.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is for informational purposes only. This is not legal advice and I make no guarantees about the outcomes or results from information shared in this newsletter. Proceed at your own risk and discretion.

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